Is there such a thing as healthy Italian food?

Question

I love Italian food. Pastas, garlic, onion, delicious sauces, ect. Is there any way to eat dishes like this and loose weight? I need low calorie or low fat recipies for Italian food. Anyone know any?

Answer 1

try this one..

Low Fat Italian-Style Chicken

This is a quick and easy recipe to make, requiring only four main ingredients. There's no clean-up, either, as the chicken breasts are cooked in foil packets. All that's needed to accompany this low fat Italian-style chicken are some vegetables on the side and perhaps some noodles.

INGREDIENTS:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup no-salt-added marinara sauce (like Trader Joe's organic)
1/2 cup reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup freshly chopped basil

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Tear 4 sheets of foil wrap measuring 12" by 18". Place one chicken breast in the center of each foil sheet. Spoon one-fourth of the marinara sauce over each chicken piece, followed by cheese and basil.

Bring up the sides of the foil and fold the top edge over twice. Seal the edges, leaving enough room for air to circulate inside. Place each packet on a large cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Unseal foil packets carefully, as the steam will be extremely hot. Enjoy with noodles and vegetables.
Serves 4.

Per Serving: Calories 239, Calories from Fat 49, Total Fat 5.5g (sat 2.4g), Cholesterol 108mg, Sodium 275mg, Carbohydrate 4.1g, Fiber 0.6g, Protein 43.4g

Answer 2

This is a quick and easy recipe to make, requiring only four main ingredients. There's no clean-up, either, as the chicken breasts are cooked in foil packets. All that's needed to accompany this low fat Italian-style chicken are some vegetables on the side and perhaps some noodles.
INGREDIENTS:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup no-salt-added marinara sauce (like Trader Joe's organic)
1/2 cup reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup freshly chopped basil
PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Tear 4 sheets of foil wrap measuring 12" by 18". Place one chicken breast in the center of each foil sheet. Spoon one-fourth of the marinara sauce over each chicken piece, followed by cheese and basil.


Bring up the sides of the foil and fold the top edge over twice. Seal the edges, leaving enough room for air to circulate inside. Place each packet on a large cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Unseal foil packets carefully, as the steam will be extremely hot. Enjoy with noodles and vegetables. Serves 4.
Per Serving: Calories 239, Calories from Fat 49, Total Fat 5.5g (sat 2.4g), Cholesterol 108mg, Sodium 275mg, Carbohydrate 4.1g, Fiber 0.6g, Protein 43.4g

Answer 3

Yes, it's called REAL Italian food.
I'm Italian living in Italy, I eat Italian food every day, yet I'm thin, why? Because Italian food is healthy why the food you Americans think is Italian has been Americanized. We don't put all this tomato and cheese over our food, we don't eat bread with butter and garlic, the real Alfredo sauce is just butter and grated parmesan and there isn't creamy, we dress our salads with just olive oil and vinegard and so on...

Answer 4

Real Italian food is very healthy - with durum semolina and rich in flavor and vegetables it is the American versions made with flour and loads of animal fats you need to shy away from. On the whole Italian foods are really great for loosing weight. Try some with fresh fish, shellfish and real semolina pasta you will get full faster and always have a soup and salad before the main course to help your digestion - for dessert have a small glass of brandy instead of cakes or cookies or a demitasse of espresso. Try northern Italian dishes and those from the coast for the best richest flavors with the least fat. Abbondanza!

Answer 5

Sorry, I disagree. I've been on a much reduced diet and exercise regimen for a year. I do still go for a fast food burger, just far less frequently. And when I do, I enjoy the experience more. I do tend to steer clear of fries though. I don't think there is anything particularly bad about fast food, other than the fact that it is so avilable, quick, tasty and cheap. For someone not paying attention to how much they eat, those qualities are all dangerous!

Answer 6

If you avoid the fatty cream sauces, yes. Try whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce and lots of veggies. It's not real Italian, but you can sprinkle nutritional yeast on top for a cheesy flavor with less fat. Olive oil is a healthier fat, so use that in your cooking. Garlic and onion are very good for your blood (even if they do stink up your breath).

Avoid creamy foods and fried foods, and you should be okay.

Answer 7

I make lots of "cream" pasta sauces using chicken stock and fat-free half & half. They always have garlic and onion, but the other ingredients vary. They might include a variety of sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, asparagus, roasted red peppers, a small amount of turkey or chicken Italian sausage or chopped cooked chicken, shrimp, grated parmesan or pecorino romano. Cook down to thicken if necessary or add a bit of cornstarch.

For me the sauce being low-fat offsets the calories in the pasta for that meal dieting wise. We like this so much that we almost can't eat the high fat, ultra rich sauces in restaurants.

Answer 8

There is alot of healthy Italian food - in fact, most Italian food is based on the Mediterranean diet, which in terms of heart disease is one of the healthiest types of diet out there! This is due in large part to the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated oils they use instead of saturated oils and trans fats like our typically American diet. Olive oil is the main oil they use, and alot of fish, and fruits and vegetables. Pasta is fine in moderation, too, especially with olive oil and veggies - meat can be used almost like a condiment, to give extra flavor, in small portions.

Answer 9

I once saw a program that made chicken parmesan with toasted panko breadcrumbs. You coat the chicken with the breadcrumbs and bake on a rack in the oven for a crispy fried taste with little calories. To toast the breadcrumbs use approximatley 1 cup and 1 tbl olive oil and fry till toasted. Just make sure you use little cheese and a low calorie tomato sauce.

Answer 10

Check out these links:

1.
http://www.virtualitalia.com/recipes/vegetarian.shtml

2. At this website, scroll down to Vegetarian & Vegan recipes:

http://www.knowledgehound.com/topics/italianr.htm#veg